Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Red,” went to No. 1 on iTunes by the end of its first day in 32 different countries, as well as topping the all-genre top albums chart within the first 36 minutes of its release. Fans worldwide just cannot get enough of Swift’s new songs.
While some may not like that “Red” contains more pop than country songs, Swift fans love it regardless of what genre each song may actually be.
Swift comes out swinging in this album with greatly improved vocals. Songs boast a much broader vocal range while also sounding more confident and mature. It is definitely refreshing to hear Swift finally being decisive and powerful in “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” unlike many of her others in which she comes across as whiny and desperate.
Red, like Swift’s previous album, “Speak Now,” contains a good mixture of both pop and country songs as well as having topics ranging from love, heartbreak and new romance, to fame and the free life.
The album opens with “State of Grace,” a song that makes me want to hop in an old Jeep Wrangler, roll the windows down and cruise down an open road on a beautiful fall day. Even more youthful exuberance is expressed in Swift’s other songs, “Starlight” and “22,” which both just have that “young and wild and free” feeling attached to them.
True to form, Swift’s album has its fair share of love songs — about 70 percent of the album — which also ranges from country to pop and even a little bit of rock music.
While almost all of the songs found on “Red” fit Swift’s typical country-pop mold, “I Knew You Were Trouble” took me by surprise with its rock-n-roll attitude disguised by great vocal variations and more relaxed music in between choruses.
“Sad Beautiful Tragic” and “I Almost Do” are reminders of Taylor’s “Back To December” with similar tones and lots of emotion present throughout both songs. She offers “Red” as a way of looking back on a great love that no longer hurts, and “Holy Ground” as a memory of a fierce romance.
“Everything Has Changed” is a relaxing duet with singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, exploring that feeling from when you have just met someone new and you do not know anything except that you want to know them.
Swift closes her album with “Begin Again,” a song that leaves listeners and fans with the hope that no matter what has happened in the past, there will always be a time when something happens in their life that will allow them to watch their lives and hearts begin again, too.
As a whole, “Red” is sure to please already-crazed Taylor Swift fans as well as draw many more to her music as she branches out even more from standard country music, further improves her vocals and delivers yet again outstanding and heartfelt lyrics to listeners everywhere.
